National Geographic: Breakthrough

Tonight on the National Geographic channel you can see the premiere of the new series Breakthrough, focusing on "cutting-edge" scientific discoveries.  The first episode, "Fighting Pandemics," covers what we learned from the Ebola breakout in Africa last year.  

The series is funded by General Electric, which has some interest in continuing innovation, and executive produced by Ron Howard.  Each hour-long episode will be directed by a different person, such as Howard and Paul Giamatti, and tackle a new topic, as follows:

Episode 2: "More Than Human" about enhancing the human body

Episode 3: "Decoding the Brain" about mental disorders

Episode 4: "The Age of Aging" about expanding human lifespan

Episode 5: "Energy on the Edge" about clean, safe energy 

Episode 6: "Water Apocalypse" about  preventing a water crisis
  

The series covers a lot of territory. Addressing this variety, Ron Howard stated

While Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison seem odd bedfellows, their infamous enmity actually benefited their inventiveness as each man sought to outdo the other. It seems fitting that their legacies will come together to celebrate and foster the creativity of other inventors and innovators who astound us every day with their ideas.

Clean water and solar power may not be as sexy as the light bulb or phonograph, yet they are more critical to our continued presence on this globe.